


Pokémon: Currently Unnamed Sword & Shield Fic: Main Story

by TheRareHunterH



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27519484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRareHunterH/pseuds/TheRareHunterH
Summary: After achieving the height of her career by becoming Galar's Champion, Gloria struggles with finding a new purpose.  With encouragement from her friends, she goes back to basics by traveling through Galar again and finds inspiration in places she never expected.[in-progress]
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Repeat Rose

“So, Miss Champion. Have you thought about what you’d like to do?”

Gloria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was the same question she’d been avoiding ever since winning the League Championship six months ago. But she knew that once she’d taken up Leon on his offer for lunch in Motostoke, it was a question that she couldn’t avoid any longer.

“Well…” Gloria searched the café walls for something to derail the conversation. She was saved by the coffee they’d ordered minutes ago. The tray came to their table with a gentle, steady clattéring sound—saucers and cups balancing atop it in midair as if carried by a supernatural force. But beneath the tray was a wispy Milcery, straining in a pitiful attempt to haul all that weight.

“Ah, hold on. Looks like someone needs our help.” Leon scooped the tray onto the table and served the cups of coffee to himself and Gloria. 

Milcery chirped a sigh of relief before moving close to Leon’s cup. Its glowing palms produced a frothy flame symbol on top of Leon’s coffee. Milcery’s gaze seemed to linger on Leon before it created a star-shaped pattern in Gloria’s cup.

Gloria looked from Milcery to Leon. “Looks like someone has a crush.”

“I get that a lot. From Pokémon, at least.” Leon took a sip of his coffee.

Something from several feet away caught Gloria’s eye. It was the guy behind the counter, waving at them like an idiot. He gave them a thumbs-up. “Cappuccinos are on me!”

Gloria narrowed her eyes. _If you want to impress us, then don’t make your tiny little Pokémon do all the work._

Leon gave Counter Guy a single wave before turning back to Gloria. “Wanna make a bet? You owe me another latté if that guy asks for a double-Champion selfie on the way out.”

Gloria slurped her drink it in annoyance. “These are cappuccinos.”

“Same difference.” Leon looked down when he saw Milcery sneaking onto the table. It was headed for the now-empty coffee tray.

Leon politely raised his hand to the Pokemon. “Ah, don’t you worry! Your friend behind the counter will get this later. You go take a break.”

Milcery gave Leon a big smile and chirped.

Gloria tapped her cup sharply. “You wanna make another bet? Ten Ultra Balls says he’s gonna make the poor thing clean up, too.”

“He won’t. Food prep Pokémon aren’t allowed to be on clean-up duty.”

“But apparently they can carry around food trays.”

Oblivious to their comments, Milcery floated back to its trainer. Counter Guy made weird hand motions at it, probably trying to figure out the best way to give his tiny Pokémon a high-five.

Leon leaned in. “So, back to my question. Given it any thought?”

Gloria looked at her drink, but taking another sip was the furthest thing from her mind.

“You don’t have to think too hard.” Leon somehow made his expression look even friendlier. “You’re the youngest Champion ever, and that alone is quite a feat. I was the youngest Champion of my time, too. Who’d have guessed that we’d keep getting younger?” 

Leon chuckled, but stopped when he looked at Gloria. “Relax. You’ve taken took the world by storm, first in the League and then at the Battle Tower. That’s gotta count for something.” Leon raised his hand and looked at the Counter Guy—probably requesting the check—then turned back to Gloria. “Lunch is on me, by the way. Minus any lattés that I’ve won.”

Gloria sighed quietly. Leon had gone to the trouble of dragging her out here, and she couldn’t even answer his question.

Then, her lips moved against her will. “Wait.” Her chest seized.

Leon got up to leave, but stopped. “Yeah?”

“I think… I know what I want to do.” Gloria had no idea where the words were coming from, but she knew they weren’t going to stop.

“Oh!” Leon leaned in again, much closer this time, as if he was 200 feet away from her instead of two. “Of course, go on!”

As Gloria’s words formed on her lips, she felt a familiar sting on her finger, the same sensation she’d felt on the night she realized how worthless she was. She rubbed her fingers, trying to dull the pain before it could manifest in her face. Leon looked at her busy hand, and she retreated it below the table.

A lot of things happened that night, but most of it was hazy. Out of everything, there was only one thing she could recall with perfect clarity, a trending post on social media: _“#RoseWasRight. If the Champion won’t do something, we will.”_

“Is… everything okay?” Leon wasn’t smiling anymore.

“I want to stop Chairman Rose.”

Leon’s mouth dropped. “Oh. Uh, he’s behind bars, isn’t he?”

“I meant… I want to stop ‘Chairman Rose,’ or anyone like him, from ever returning.”

Leon’s brows knitted in concern. “Wouldn’t you prefer to just build a theme park or something?

Gloria said nothing.

“Okay, then. But where did this come from?”

“Lots of people were watching when Chairman Rose tried out his version of the Darkest Day. Most decried his actions, but I’m sure he’s got sympathizers now.”

“None as organized as the Macro Cosmos Corporation.” Leon resumed his usual smile. 

“Maybe not yet. And regardless, I’m not doing anyone any favors by sitting around the house, pretending that posting to social media is ‘doing something.’” 

Leon finished his drink and slammed it a little too hard on its saucer. As usual, he became mildly intolerable with any amount of caffeine. “That your Mum talking? It’s okay to make your own decisions, you know. Gloria… I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you’re almost 18. Maybe it’s time to see what’s out there for you. Ever thought about moving out?”

“I’m not you, Leon. Things don’t just work out for me.”

“Gloria, she’s your Mum and she loves you. Maybe you should take that on good faith and show her that you’re ready to make decisions for yourself.”

“Well, what did _you_ do when you became Champion?”

“I just followed my passions. Mentoring trainers, establishing new places for them to battle. Most importantly, I helped them be the best they could be!”

“That sounds kind of vague.”

“Well, I had some help while I was figuring it all out. You met most of them during the League Challenge.” Leon’s eyes lit up. “Hey, there’s an idea! Who’ve you talked to since becoming Champion? I can set you up with a family friend of ours. She’s a natural contact for the new Champion!”

Gloria turned her head away and side-eyed him. “… Who is it?”

Leon’s grin grew wider. “You’ll see! Hey, uh, what was your phone number again? I forgot to save it to my phone… and I think I deleted your texts?” 

_Ugh,_ t _ypical Leon._


	2. Crystalline Figures

From the Corviknight taxi window, Gloria watched the setting sun. Her heart sank to see the sun’s red glow retreat behind a fuzzy gray pool of clouds. Snow flurries began to fall and scattered around the cab window, as if being pushed around by static electricity.

The cabbie, perched on a seat outside, pulled open a window. “Hope you’re comfortable in there. It’s getting pretty cold out here.”

Gloria leaned in to respond. “Yeah, I brought my winter stuff. I should be fine.”

“That’s good, miss. But don’t forget to acknowledge your poor cabbie who’s out here braving the cold for ya.”

“Yeah, I get it. Don’t worry, I tip well.”

“Much appreciated, miss.”

He closed the window and Gloria rode in silence until the cab descended. It jerked twice at the bottom, but had almost no impact from the landing. This was a well-trained Corviknight. Maybe she’d tip it directly, instead of the cabbie.

The window opened again. “Here we are, miss. Good ol’ Circhester.” 

Gloria looked out the window and was greeted by the ostentatious entrance of Hotel Ionia. “Did you look at the address I gave you?”

“Melony’s place? Miss, we don’t fly to celebrities’ homes.”

“But she’s expecting me. Certainly you can make an exception-“ She stopped, but wanted to say, _for the Champion_.

“Look, miss, we’re not the Gym Leader’s personal servants. It’s policy. We don’t break that for Melony, not for the Champion Leon…”

Gloria winced.

“… and not for you, either. Now please exit the cab, miss. Thank you for using our services.”

Gloria complied and found herself intercepted by the cabbie’s outstretched arm, punctuated with an open palm. She threw a few crumpled bills at him, not bothering to look at the amount. As she strode off, she heard the Corviknight take off with quiet wingflaps. 

_Not gonna let it rest after being airborne for so long? Gotta hustle for that next tip, I guess._

Gloria was met with a familiar cobblestone path, darkened by twilight. It was late, and without people around, the town as still as the snow clouds in the sky. If she was going to ask someone for directions, she’d better do it soon.

Rather than face responsibility, Gloria bent down next to a fence outside a home. “I suppose I could always ask you for directions.” The Snom she spoke to shook some loose snow off its face, then squeaked and wriggled towards her.

“Gloria, that you? Careful, the wild ones will freeze your legs without warning.”

A stranger came up to Gloria—an adult man.

Gloria stood up. “Oh, right. Sorry, I’m just out here wasting time… I don’t think we’ve met?”

“It’s okay. I don’t expect the Champion to know the name of everyone in Circhester.”

Oh, duh. Gloria forgot that she’s famous.

The man turned to walk away. “Just wanted to offer a friendly warning. Didn’t mean to interrupt any official Champion business.”

“…Which I can’t do, until I figure out where I’m going.”

“Oh. Anything I can help with?”

“Maybe! I’m trying to find Melony, since she’s expecting me and all.”

“That’s just about the easiest thing you could’ve asked for. Here, come with me. You can bring that Snom too, if you’re worried about following a stranger.”

“Better not. That thing looks strong enough to wipe out my whole team.”

The man laughed and began walking. Gloria followed.

“So, kind stranger… apparently the cabbies ‘round here won’t drop off anyone at Melony’s residence. What gives?”

“Well, I think the cabbies try to keep the flow of traffic under control, especially with all the tourism. That’s why we keep all our Corviknight parking outside the Hotel. But after you touch down, it’s pretty easy to get where you’re going. We’re a pretty helpful bunch. Usually, the cabbies are too.”

“Guess I’m luckier with battles than with getting good cabbies.”

As they walked, tangles of barren trees framed their walking path. Gloria’s felt a stint of guilt as she realized that no Corviknight could navigate through this. Rude or not, it wasn’t the cabbie’s fault that Gloria had forgotten how taxis work.

The man stopped just as they came upon a fresh set of houses. There were no street lamps around, but each house was generously lit. “Looks like we got here just before the end of the hour. Hopefully I got you here on time.”

“More or less. Thanks, you’ve been a great help.”

The man saluted before leaving. Gloria was left alone with a strangely inimidating door. The cozy porch light offered reassurance that Gloria would be welcomed, if only she could bring herself to knock.

Gloria brushed her hand inaudibly against the door. She tried again, and then, by the third knock, she’d finally put herself in danger of being heard. 

From somewhere in the house, she could hear muffled footfalls, which quickly subsided. Gloria waited several more seconds before trying to convince herself to knock again. Just then, the door opened.

There was Melony, with a miniature version of herself slung over her shoulder. It kicked and wriggled, but she paid it no mind. “Gloria, you found your way here! Please, come in!”

Gloria muttered a quiet “Thank you” and obliged. She saw another Melony mini-clone emerge from behind its mom and run into another room. Gloria had to do a double-take to make sure it wasn’t the same kid.

Just inside the door, Melony gestured, “You can have a seat in here. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll be right back.”

Gloria nodded, relieved to already have a moment alone. She took a seat on the nearby vintage, almost pristine couch. Even without much stuffing, it still felt springy, just like the plush carpet beneath her feet. Everything Gloria could see was impossibly clean for a household with two young kids. Maybe this was that room where adults put all their nice stuff that no one ever uses.

Something moved under the glass table. A Pokémon? No. A mini-Melony looked at Gloria. Weird, Gloria could’ve sworn it had run the other direction. It leaned out from under the table and put a finger to its lips, signaling for her to keep quiet about its presence.

“Jake!” At its mother’s voice, the mini-Melony knocked its head on the table. “You know you’re not supposed to be in here! Out! Go find Frost!” Jake cackled and ran to where its broodmate had disappeared to earlier.

A young girl poked her head in. “Sorry, mom. I’ve got them now. And hi.” She waved at Gloria before following Jake.

“I’m so sorry, Gloria. I try to tire them out before having guests over, but you know how kids are. Sometimes I think they’re running off the local Power Spot better than a Dynamaxed Pokémon.”

“No kid experience here, but I’ve got my Bolthund to deal with, so I get it.”

“Oh, how’s Bolthund? His battles still going well?”

“Same as ever.”

“Good to hear! I knew you’d be a runaway success when we battled, but who could’ve imagined you’d take it all the way to the Championship? Oh, and please, feel free to have some of that tea. Can I get you anything else? Milk, water-”

“Tea is fine. Thank you, ma’am.”

“Oh, you’re too polite! Just ‘Melony’ is fine. Did Leon tell you I’m making dinner? I figured we could chat in the meantime.”

“Yeah, sounds great. Thanks-” Gloria bit her tongue. It still felt awkward to call her ‘Melony’.

“Of course. I’m just happy we got a chance to meet like this. After becoming Champion, Leon met with us too. Come to find out that he’d told each of us we were the first… except poor Raihan. Leon told him he was the last. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, but even since then, Raihan’s made a big deal about ‘saving the best for last.’ Says it’s a part of his brand, whatever that means.”

“I couldn’t even tell you what my ‘brand’ is.” Gloria decided to serve herself some tea. The insistent clanking of the fancy porcelain made her feel like everything she handled was on the verge of breaking. She held her breath until had the cup of tea was at her lips. “Thanks, this is good.”

“I’m glad you like it! You know, I never got into the social media stuff myself. Not enough time.”

“You’re better off for it. It’s a timesuck. I had to make an account for every single member of my team, but it seems like Bolthund and Corviknight are the only ones who get any attention.”

“No surprise there. That’s your famous opening Pokémon and your Dynamax partner.”

“Yeah, but everyone forgets about Alcreamie and her Dynamax form.” Gloria took another sip of tea.

“Every single member of our team works hard for our victory, even if the crowd doesn’t see it. That’s pretty admirable, if you ask me.”

“Yeah.” 

Gloria waited for Melony to continue the conversation, because Gloria herself didn’t know how. The silence persisted for another uncomfortable moment. Then, Gloria’s heart almost stopped when she saw that Melony was practically scanning her for… something.

Not knowing what to do, and not even knowing what she was saying, Gloria started. “I…-“

“Gloria. I want you to know… I respect you as Galar’s Champion. But as a mother, I can’t help but want to see a young girl like yourself succeed, and if there’s anything I can do to make that happen-“

“Ma’am?”

“Oh, just call me ‘Melony’! Sorry, am I making you nervous?”

“No, it’s just… I appreciate you inviting me here, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful. But… why?”

“Sorry, dear. Leon asked me to be subtle about it, but I can’t help worrying over you like you’re my own daughter.” Melony clasped her hands in her lap. “What I wanted to ask is, have you thought about what you’d like to do with your Champion’s clout?”

There it was again, the dreaded question. Gloria bit her lip. “I, uhm. I haven’t thought this through. But maybe I could work with the Power Spots, or something. I wondered if… Chairman Rose’s ideas about energy conservation held any water.” Gloria could feel her heartbeat in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to elaborate. Every time she said the Chairman’s name, she wondered if it was the wrong thing to do.

“Chairman Rose is a very smart man. But you can become even smarter than him. You’re already an expert battler. You might end up limiting yourself by trying to follow in his footsteps.”

“So, we just keep humming along until someone else tries to shut down Galar again?” The heat under Gloria’s collar made her realize how angry she sounded, but Melony’s own expression hadn’t changed. “S-sorry. It’s just, I wonder if there’s anything we can do right now.”

“It’s a beautiful sentiment, Gloria. You care about Galar’s future, just like a proper Champion. And you’re not alone. It might look like us Gym Leaders are just using the Power Spots to put on a show. But we, our trainers, and many others are constantly learning about them. Of course, it all began with the intent to understand the battling potential of Pokémon, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” 

Melony sighed. She used the moment of silence to serve herself some tea. She had a sip, then looked at Gloria again. “If I’m honest with you, battling’s my only specialty. My trainers tease me that I’m not good at much else, although you’ll have to let me know if that’s true after you try my cooking.” Melony winked, making Gloria’s face flush with a gentle heat.

“Y-yeah. But I’m the same way. Battling’s all I’m good at.”

“Well, you certainly make for great company! But I know how much pressure you’re under. You might actually enjoy the pace of research better. You’re still young, and you’re supposed to try out new things. Just be sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, and not because you think it’s what the Champion is supposed to do.” There was a ding from another room. “There’s that kitchen timer! I’ll be right back.”

Melony dashed into the kitchen, leaving Gloria alone with the shiny baubles that adorning the curio cabinets and shelves in the stiff room. She guessed they were supposed to represent an ice motif.

Upon trying to identify the Pokémon figures one-by-one, she noticed that a couple of them actually were foggier than the rest. Gloria could barely see through their dark gray, blocky bodies. Inexplicably, unlike with everything else in that pristine room, Gloria could’ve sworn she saw fingerprints.

“Dinner’s here!” Melony walked in with another ornate tray, and the aroma of home-cooked food came in along with it. “Ah, could you push the tea tray aside for me?” 

Gloria carefully pushed the tray aside as if it contained a hundred of those expensive-looking crystalline figures on it. “Smells good. Can’t wait to try it.”

“Everyone thinks of Hulbury when they think of seafood, which leaves the local fare out here in Circhester woefully overlooked. We can’t use those rich sauces because our fish are fattier. So we do more with vegetables and seasonings, which gives us this hearty fish stew! Ah, you should probably just try it. Tuck in.”

“Thank you.” Gloria served herself and took a spoonful. The meaty fish flavor was infused into every part of the bite, making it gratifyingly impossible to tell the difference between dumplings, fish, and potatoes. “Wow, this is good!”

“I thought you’d like it! Help yourself to some appetizers, too—I have these small toasts with homemade sweet-and-tart pecha berry jam.”

“This is great, thank you.”

Melony grabbed her own plate. “It’s my pleasure, and please come by anytime! It’s impossible to plan portions for four kids, so I always make enough to share. And I hope I didn’t scare you earlier, asking about your future plans.”

“You’re way nicer about it than anyone else who’s asked.”

Melony laughed. “Well, if anyone ever bullies you over it, you just send them my way and I’ll take care of ‘em.”

“Next time you see Leon, you can just preemptively ‘take care of him.’ He could always use a fresh set of manners.”

“Haha, I think I’ll do that! By the way, I did some thinking while getting dinner. If you’re serious about Power Spot research, then I’ll point you in the direction of someone who can help, better than I can. I don’t know his schedule, so you’ll have to do a cold call. But it’ll be worth the visit!”

“Someone from the League?”

“Not the Major League. But he’s the smartest person I know, and a great battler to boot!”

Gloria looked at the spoon in her hand, turning it around in contemplation. Despite all her doubts, and fueled by the kindness Melony had shown her all evening, Gloria’s heart filled with excitement. For the first time in six months, she felt like herself again, and she looked forward to meeting another adept battler, even more so than meeting him as a researcher.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me. Where can I find him?”


	3. Cold River

Gloria wandered past some shops, their worn exteriors looking even more abandoned in the paleness of the morning sky. She’d finally made it out of the forest and back to civilization. She yawned, catching a whiff of the crisp morning air, hoping it’d wake her up. 

Gloria had stayed at Melony’s place and found out that she slept better at a stranger’s house than at her own But Gloria started to feel wistful for her old carefree schedule. This was turning into a whole string of meetings, none of which she’d planned for.

Still half-asleep, she arrived at her destination—Circhester Bay. Between her and her next meeting was the harsh, churning river that she’d need to traverse to get to the outskirts of Circhester. She stared down her natural foe. The river was so violent that it kicked up a freezing mist right into Gloria’s throat, making it hard to breathe.

She wanted to retreat back to the Wedgehurst area to hang out with her friends, and to continue making exactly zero progress in her shamefully vague goals as Champion. But feeling numb from the morning chill, and seeing this river challenging her now, Gloria went into autopilot.

Gloria mounted her bike, scanning for the best place to ride into the river. She picked her moment and launched herself from the shoreline, and her wheels met water. She held her breath to keep from yelping once the bike activated its flotation wheels, changing the entire sensation of riding the bike to one of riding on glass. The current spun her around once, but she managed to pedal out of it before the current could take control. None of the lakes in the Wild Area were quite this vicious, but at least she’d done enough water biking to be somewhat used to this discomfort.

The stream still pulled her too quickly, so she pedaled backwards until she could get her bearings. She straightened up her bike. As far as she could see downstream, there were no major obstacles, not even large rocks. It was like a highway of water, framed by white terrain. Gloria stopped her feet from backpedaling to let the bike move forward, but she didn’t dare accelerate. She wasn’t in a hurry, anyway.

It was so gradual that Gloria had barely noticed it, but the river became wider as she continued downstream, and the water flow slowed. Mist filtered into the open area, making Gloria’s entire world seem pale as the light of the rising sun tried to push through. All this mist probably meant there was a waterfall nearby, which Gloria thought she could hear in the distance.

The mounting stillness of the river had made Gloria become lost in her thoughts, but she was roused to reality as her bike skidded over something. She whipped her head back, but saw nothing. She started pedaling—the current was slow enough to maintain control now.

Something emerged out of the water, harrowingly close to her foot. Her pedal knocked into it, and it went back underwater. Another one emerged on her other side, out of reach from her foot.

She veered off to the right, breaking her mental rule of keeping to the left so she wouldn’t lose her way. Among some rocky terrain, she saw a path that led up from the water. It might not have been bike-worthy, but she was willing to take the risk.

Her attention focused like a laser as she made a beeline for that path, kicking up white sheets of water all around her front wheel. 

The things from earlierdark and formless rose up from the water again and circled in front of Gloria. She was headed straight for them. The next moment, Gloria heard a loud splash, and then another as she was knocked off her bike, into the water. She floated onto her belly to keep from sinking and grabbed one of the bike’s flotation wheels.

The things were gone. Her body went still, trying to sense any movements from underwater. A large body rose in front of her, and the two tentacles that had been chasing Gloria earlier rose beside it. Like rubber, they grew out of the water and reached for Gloria. Before they could claim her, they sank below the water faster than they could extend. The Grappoloct’s body was pulled along with it. Its reemerged a second later, unconscious.

Gloria couldn’t believe her eyes.

A tall, finned lizard stepped out of the water onto the Grappoloct’s body. It’d been so long… Was it Fin? It pulled her and her bike up onto the capsized Grappoloct and chattered happily at her, and she knew.

Gloria folded her bike into her bag. “Your timing couldn’t be better. Have you been following me?”

It hissed quietly. It put its webbed hands into the water and rowed their Grappoloct “boat” to the path that Gloria had aimed for earlier. Gloria moved to get up, but she was swept into Fin’s arms and carried to safer terrain.

Gloria began wringing out her clothes. “So, are you finally here to stay? It’s been, what, a month now?”

Rather than vocalize a response, Fin handed her something—a fancier version of her Rotom phone, already lit up with a text.

Gloria read what was on the screen. “ _Agent 818. I come to you with a dire request. You were promised time at home with your trainer family, but the criminal underworld threatens to surface again in Motostoke. We need you._ ”

Not bothering with the rest of the message, Gloria looked at I Fin. “Leaving again so soon?”

Fin lowered its head. Gloria nudged the phone back into its palm. After a pause, its fingers curled around the phone. This was for the best. Fin didn’t belong with Gloria. It struggled in every stadium battle, since its stealthier style didn’t jive with all the bright lights everywhere and no place to hide. Few people even knew that Gloria had an Inteleon.

Breaking the silence, Inteleon chirped meekly.

Gloria shook her head. “It’s okay. You need to stop worrying about me.”

Fin turned its head, then leaned back towards Gloria and nudged her cheek.

“H-hey, what’s what for?! Stop being weird.”

Fin squeaked and reached for a pocket on Gloria’s backpack.

“No! I already told you, you’ve gotta go! Unless you hate what you’re doing, then you need to leave. I’m fine.”

Fin took two steps away. It looked her in the eyes, and Gloria tried to fill her head with thoughts of “ _I’m fine_ ” in case Fin had somehow learned how to read minds since she last saw it.

. In the moment of pause, Gloria heard running water, churning more ferociously than the river path she’d just been on. She climbed a few more steps up the rocky terrain, and over it she saw a waterfall dispersing into another watery path.

Gloria whistled. “Looks like I’ll need to watch out for that once I get back on the river. I don’t feel like climbing up a waterfall today.”

Fin chirped inquisitively.

“Hey, I heard that direction’s supposed to lead towards the sea. But that path’s pretty narrow, so I’m not sure I believe it. Feel like doing some reconnaissance for me before you leave?”

Fin squawked and opened its fins.

“Okay! Go check it out and tell me what you find! Meet me in Outer Circhester?

Inteleon hopped toward the mysterious river path and fizzled into the mist. The churning white water below reminded Gloria of the chill in the air.

She slowly pulled off her backpack and let it sit on the ground as she stared at nothing. She mustered up the motivation to fish out her bike again, and unfolded it. “Ugh. Maybe I should’ve asked Fin for a ride to Outer Circhester first…”


End file.
